After Atalanta

 I started this post on the plane ride back from a conference in CA in November. Conferences always gave me a spurt of writing energy. But the end of the fall 2024 semester got in the way of its completion and transcription (it was easier to pull out a notebook rather than my laptop on the plane). It is still relevant and so... I have been wondering if the (University of) Iowa women's basketball t-shirt (and sweatshirt) I wore last year now after the end of that 2023-24 run to the final four and the subsequent 2024 WNBA season. Last year, an observer might have wondered if I was a bandwagon fan, i.e., experiencing the Caitlin Clark effect. I am an Iowa alum (PhD 2013). with a complicated relationship to Iowa athletics (see the myriad of Title IX issues, racism within programs, incompetent and violent coaching, etc.) And though I have watched women's college basketball for some time, it's mostly because I want to support women's sports. I understand very little about str...

 Movie reviews seem like good ways to keep the commitment to regular blogging going so... [also, I have been doing more over at Title IX Blog about what is going to happen to the regulations in 2025.] Two caveats for this one: I am not a trained movie critic or film expert. I am not a boxing expert or fan and really only pay attention to women's boxing when there are various controversies. Though given the number of controversies and how boxing is and is not included in conversations about women's sports and women athletes, I have a solid understanding of the sociocultural aspects of the sport (but less of one about individuals who have shaped the sport).  I do of course know who Claressa Shields is, which is who The Fire Inside is about.  I did not know about this movie until last month when I saw a preview at my independent theater (shout out to independent movie houses!!). I listen to several podcasts about movies and no one mentioned this film. So when I saw the pre...